Mir Mahfuzur Rahman Mugdho

Mir Mahfuzur Rahman Mugdho (; 9 October 1998 – 18 July 2024) was a Bangladeshi student activist and freelancer in the 2024 quota reform movement, who was shot dead while distributing food, water and biscuits during the protest. His death is widely recognised as a pivotal point in the July Uprising.

Personal life Mugdho was born on 9 October 1998 in Uttara, Dhaka, Bangladesh, one minute after his twin brother Mir Mahbubur Rahman Snigdho. He had an elder brother, Mir Dipto. He belonged to a Bengali family of Muslim Mirs hailing from Ramrail in Brahmanbaria. His father, Mir Mustafizur Rahman, was a health inspector. After that, he began his MBA at Bangladesh University of Professionals (BUP), in Dhaka city. He was a freelancer, earning about $2,000-3,000 a month.

Quota reform movement and death On 18 July 2024, Mugdho set out to distribute food and water to the protestors. His twin brother Snigdho was planning to come with him, but Mugdho asked him not to. He began distributing food and water at 4 pm. According to eyewitnesses, he kept moving towards injured or exhausted students to give them water. Around 5 pm, when he was at the side of the road, he was shot at Azampur intersection in Uttara. The bullet entered through his forehead and exited through the right side of his head. His death was seen as a symbolic event in the uprising that became a symbol among the agitators. Soon after his death, the video of him distributing water and biscuits, posted by his twin brother, went viral on social media.

Freelance marketplace Fiverr offered its condolences on Facebook for his death. Just minutes before being shot, Mugdho was seen in a video holding a water case, distributing water among protesting students, repeatedly saying, "Does anyone need water? Water, water?" Later, the phrase "Water needed, water" became a symbolic slogan of the movement and appeared as graffiti on walls across different locations.

"Mugdho" named water bottles were also distributed in a post-revolution cartoon festival. On 14 April 2025, on the occasion of Bengali New Year, motif of a water bottle was featured in the Ananda Shobhajatra in remembrance of Mugdho, and also portrayed in the drone show held that day.

Namesake In August 2024, Bangabandhu Mukta Mancha, located in Uttara, Dhaka, was renamed as Mugdho Mancha in his memory. 'Mugdho Safe Drinking Water Corner' at Joydebpur Junction railway station in Gazipur, Bangladesh. On 5 August 2025, the 'Mugdho Safe Drinking Water Corner' was inaugurated at the Joydebpur Junction railway station in Gazipur. It was constructed under the initiative of the Gazipur District Council at a cost of approximately 975,000 BDT. The project was selected through an idea competition to provide free pure drinking water facilities to passengers arriving at the station.

Posthumous recognition In July 2026, the Ministry of Home Affairs of Bangladesh issued a notification approving a new design for the country's passport. Under the approved design, the watermark on pages 32 and 33 is set to depict Mugdho alongside fellow July Uprising martyrs Abu Sayed and Wasim Akram, commemorating the 2024 July Uprising.